Not Quite A Padre

This morning (Thursday) it was widely reported that former pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead, the cause of death believed to be suicide. Irabu's career was largely unspectacular despite arriving to the United States amidst hype not seen before from a Japanese player.

Fans of the San Diego Padres during the latter half of the 1990s recall the arrival of Hideki Irabu from his Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. He is not remembered fondly.

After his purchase from Japan he refused to play for the San Diego Padres and forced a trade to the New York Yankees.* He didn't do a whole lot in New York and bounced around to a few teams before eventually calling it quits in the US.

But this is not a retrospective on the career of Hideki Irabu.

If I had said the name Hideki Irabu prior to this morning, as a Padre fan you would have likely scowled and uttered an unkind epithet or two. I would have done the same. It is my natural inclination towards any professional athlete who arrives on the scene making grandiose demands.

But to hear the name Hideki Irabu now, it is the name of a man who took his own life. Upon discovering this truth we are inclined to place him in the context in which we knew him: the Japanese pitcher who demanded his way out of San Diego.** We cursed him for it and then gladly accepted Ruben Rivera from the New York Yankees. We didn't need Hideki Irabu. The young Rivera was destined for greatness.***

I guess my point here is that it must be terribly unsettling to fail spectacularly... and for the world to bear witness. The world doesn't often forget such defeats of man. So when we hear the name of Hideki Irabu on a Thursday morning in July it is his failures that are used to place him in context. And then a split second later we hear the echo... that he took his own life. This is unfair.

I'll try to remember Hideki Irabu less as the villain who was not quite a Padre and more as the pitcher whose fastball left Nolan Ryan impressed. For those who knew Hideki Irabu on a personal level I'm sure there are many fine things that will be said of him.

*Hideki Irabu's decision to hold the Padres ransom was not without its benefits. In 1997 a young man would receive inspiration in the form of an Irabu-centric rant. It formed the foundation of Ducksnorts, the longest running San Diego Padres blog. Read what Geoff Young wrote back in September of 1997.

** Hideki Irabu was the first coming of Eli Manning.


*** $#%&!!!!!

Appealing to the Court of Morgan Ensberg: the Dallas Braden/Alex Rodriguez Saga

A couple of weeks ago A's pitcher Dallas Braden and Yankee's third baseman Alex Rodriguez engaged in a dispute over baseball's "unwritten rules". I wanted to make a comment on it at the time, not in defense of Dallas Braden , but to indict Alex Rodriguez based on his past actions. I ended up making a comment on the matter but did so at Morgan Ensberg's Baseball I.Q. (his blog).

Ensberg wrote his blog post as though he were a judge presiding over his court (You might want to click that link before hand to see Ensberg's exact argument but I can sum it up by saying this: he sides with Rodriguez on the grounds that there is no unwritten rule regarding this issue and Braden overreacted in such a way as to prove that he was actually in the wrong). I responded as though I were a prosecutor. Ensberg then went on to respond to my response to his response.....got that?

Now that Dallas Braden has pitched a perfect game and has discussed seeking retribution against A-Rod when their teams meet in July, now seems like the perfect time to post my appeal to the court of Morgan Ensberg (click "Read More" to continue)

Your Honor

As it pertains to etiquette and adherence to the sacred "unwritten rules" of baseball, Alex Rodriguez has antecedents that should be more closely scrutinized. I hope that you will not render this information inadmissible in your court.


Alex Rodriguez, on multiple occasions, has given cause to get "drilled" in his next at-bat. I submit to the court the following incidents:

1.  2004 Playoff ALCS (NY v. Bos)--The Defendant veered out of the baseline and made contact with a defender attempting a tag and then used his hands to rip the ball out of the infielder's glove (a play which, off the record, I actually kind of liked).
2. When running the bases shouted, "Mine!",  at a defender attempting to field a pop-fly, thus causing said defender to err (deemed very "bush league" by those in the know).

These incidents are a reflection of Alex Rodriguez' character. Counsel acknowledges however, that it is not Alex Rodriguez' moral fiber on trial this evening. We must stick to the facts not mere judgments. The above accounts are, according to my very faint copy of the "unwritten rules", blatant violations by the Defendant.


When using the standard of a "reasonable person" should we not expect Mr. Braden to take into account Mr. Rodriguez' past behavior regarding etiquette? Mr. Braden's response, while disproportionate, was reasonable in the context of Mr. Rodriguez' history---a history that suggests the Defendant was attempting to accomplish the following: 

• To "show-up" Mr. Braden by crossing through the pitcher's domain.
• Attempting to "get in his head" thus gaining a future competitive advantage.
• Perhaps most egregiously......the implication of a professional pecking order, of which Mr. Braden is not yet a part. 

The above are all motives for the Defendant. It is the physical evidence though, that is most damning......the evidence of Mr. Rodriguez' spikes tamping earth.......THAT IS NOT HIS, Good Sir!

The mound belongs to the starting pitchers and those, and only those, who succeed them in relief. It is their domain. Would we not deem it unsportsmanlike for a football team to carry their pregame drills into the opposition's side of the field? Indeed we would. Do we not find it disagreeable when we see a batter sneaking a peek at a catcher's set-up location? Is there not cause for retribution in such an instance? There most certainly is.


Let there also be no doubt that the Plaintiff's actions (Dallas Braden) were also in violation of Baseball's Unwritten Rules. As a professional, he should have given Mr. Rodriguez  a few stern words and then made no mention of it ever again, especially to the press. Behind the closed doors of the clubhouse a strategy should have then been employed to exact a proper and proportionate response.


At the end of the day players must judge for themselves as to what may or may not be in violation of the unwritten codes. I like to think of these unwritten codes much like the  Constitution of the United States......that they can be amended over time to fit the mores of evolving generations of ball players (without the messy and stringent ratification process of our Founder's document, of course).


It is my hope that this appeal is given an unbiased review and that the defendant's behavior is found to be unsportsmanlike and therefore in violation of  said "unwritten rules". Ignorance is not a defense and the court should recognize the Defendant's past reliance on such chicanery.


Your Honor......I implore you to ponder this special case a bit longer and ask yourself the following: What would Bob Gibson do?


Regards
Avenging Jack Murphy


(I am not a lawyer, I merely play one in the blog-o-sphere)

Judge Ensberg responded accordingly:

I’ll admit it. Counselor, your points are very valid. If the situation was anything other than taking the quickest route to first base, I would over turn this. However, since it clearly says in the unwritten rulebook that players who adhere to the laws of gravity are allowed to use any surface on the field if it is connected to the Earth. 

Mr Rodriguez had demonstrated sporadic behavior and is a easy target. In my playing experience, I jogged over the mound all the time if it was the quickest path. Further, although I did not handle the two previous Rodriguez cases, I would have found Mr Rodriguez guilty on both counts.
Mr Braden embarrassed himself by blowing something completely out of proportion. He used a hammer as a fly swatter. 

Mr Avenging Jack Murphy,
Your prose is magnificent. If this was a case of character, I would have to overturn the decision.
This case may still be overturned if new evidence comes to light.
Morgan

Ah, magnificent prose.........it's what we do here.

$ 201,449,189 versus $113,004,046 from the $43,734,200 perspective

In My Opinion:
There is no good that can come from the New York Yankees winning the 2009 World Series. A series victory for the Yanks only serves to justify their lavish spending habits in the pursuit of championships. That's news of the doomsday variety for 29 other team.

The Yankees make purchases like a college undergrad receiving a credit card for the first time, burning through plastic with little regard for the future. Frivolity prevails in the form of a Sega Genesis, 1994 EA Sports Hockey*, and a steady diet of pizza, courtesy of Domino's and Visa. I know of what I speak.

The Yankees spend like a U.S. governmental agency pushing to spend its last penny so that the department head can request EVEN MORE money for the following year's budget (that means $50 dollar toilet seats and $15 dollar nuts & bolts for your tax dollars). Both entities are extraordinarily wasteful.......and yes, if you've failed to connect the dots, I am intimating that Jason Giambi and Carl Pavano are $50 dollar toilet seats!

Spending like an A-HOLE is not a sustainable business practice.....yet, the Yankees continue to make one poor personnel decision after another without it damaging the long term future of the franchise. A championship will only embolden the Yankees to continue down a spending path that will assuredly ruin the game of baseball for small market teams, who as of now, only serve as extended farm systems at the disposal of the Bronx Bombers.

Is might right? Me thinks not.

Go Phills!

* Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Theo Fleury, and Jeremy Roenick were wrecking machines in that game. I'd advise the youth of America not to purchase such a fantastic diversion during finals week.

• Pre-Finals G.P.A=3.0
• Post-Finals G.PA.=2.0

$$$ well spent in the pursuit of higher education.